Here are the new NASCAR rules for the 2024 season as changes have been announced
For 2024, NASCAR Cup Series cars will have a modified diffuser on all road courses and most tracks under 1-mile in length. Bristol Motor Speedway and Dover Motor Speedway are excluded short tracks.
A test season at Phoenix Raceway in December helped develop the changes that are going in place. Most of the focus has been placed on a completely re-designed rear diffuser.
“At the test, we noticed an improvement in traffic,” Eric Jacuzzi, NASCAR Vice President, Vehicle Performance stated.
“The car did not lose rear downforce when it yawed, which is an issue we fight with the current car. The drivers would be able to slide around more on the short tracks and really have to be less careful about putting power down.”
“We felt that would be a benefit, and that was the big takeaway from the driver feedback. At the test, they felt they could really tell that it was more forgiving. They felt they could slide the car.”
Details of the components update:
– 2023 short track/road course splitter stuffers
– No engine panel strakes
– 3-inch spoiler
– Simplified Diffuser
– Simplified Diffuser Strakes
Note: The simplified diffuser will not be used in The Clash at the LA Coliseum.
Tire Fall Off
NASCAR is also looking to create a tire that wears more.
“Goodyear, I thought, did a really good job at the tests,” Jacuzzi said.
“We had asked them — and the drivers did as well — to be extremely aggressive in bringing compounds and options, and they did do that. I think the one key thing that we’ve seen at Phoenix and at other locations is increasing the tread gauge, so actually making the tread of the tire a little thicker.”
“But adding that thickness, it seems to be every time we’ve done it has been very favorable from the driver standpoint, and Goodyear believes that added thickness will help contribute to tire fall-off.
“So that’s really a good learning out of there. I think we really proved out that we could continue to work on making the compounds we have softer, to where they have more grip initially, but then fall off more significantly. So I think that’s a big positive from the Goodyear side that came out of the test.”
